


Alone

by NonstopDoodle



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Freeform, I miiiiiiiight do a second chapter but i dunno, M/M, Puzzleshipping, Rated teen just to be safe, Warning for mentions of depression and death, but there is a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 10:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5740528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonstopDoodle/pseuds/NonstopDoodle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the song Cult Logic by Miike Snow. (give it a listen!)<br/>When Yugi is kidnapped because of the Millennium Puzzle, he fully realizes how alone he has been his whole life. It’s when he nearly gives up that he discovers that he isn’t alone, and never has to be. A slight retcon of Season 0 and DM.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alone

**Author's Note:**

> All my life I've been the slave of consequence,  
> Wondering how this life could be so intricate?  
> I wanna rewrite my heart and let the future in!  
> I wanna open it up and let somebody in!
> 
> Will you free me from the logic that I knew?  
> I'll believe it even if it is not true!

When Yugi came to, all he could see was darkness. A strip of dark, thick cloth was tied around his eyes, blinding him. His arms were tied, pulled out to either side. He was shirtless, and the carved stone under his back was rough. His first instinct was to cry out for help, but he was gagged as well, so the best he could manage was a hoarse whimpering. His heart was pounding in his chest, fear sliding through his system like a serpent. What had happened?! Where was he?! All he could remember was walking through the markets, tailing his Grandfather and the Professor and then…

He could almost feel movement around him, and the teen squirmed on the stone when a chanting began around him, low and heated. He was to tightly bound, he couldn’t move. What was happening?!

Then he felt a cord slid over his neck. Oh no, no, no, no, they were going to kill him, no, no, _no, no_ —

Goosebumps erupted over his skin as a familiar weight settled on his chest, cold and hard.

His puzzle. His pride and joy. The obvious reason why he was here. The only thing he really had.

The chanting grew louder and louder, until someone was shouting harshly, wild and needy. Yugi tried to tune it out, focus on the puzzle to keep the panic at bay. The puzzle. The puzzle.

He could still remember the day when his Grandfather had given it to him. It was a small 8th birthday, just his Grandfather, Mother, and him grouped around the table.  
He could still remember seeing the golden box’s gleam when his Grandfather placed it into his hands.

_This is an ancient puzzle Yugi. The Millennium Puzzle! It’s said to be magic, and if you solve it, you can make a wish! And it will come true!_

He’d been so excited, feverishly tinkering away with the pieces, puzzling over the intricate parts until his Mother would insist he went to bed. And nearly eight years went by, hours upon hours given to solving the puzzle. And while growing up, it soon became an anchor to cling to. One solid, consistent thing in his life. 

It distracted him from being alone.

Yugi’s breathing had eased, the puzzle still resting over his heart. The chanting had stopped, the voices shuffling away. A fresh wave of panic swept over him. What happened now?! Were they going to leave him here like this?! He struggled against the ropes, trying to shout around the gag. He froze when something that was most definitely a knife touched his chest.

“Your time will come, Vessel.” The man said, speaking with a thick accent. His voice was heavy, still filled with a wildness that struck fear into Yugi’s heart. The knife was lifted, and he heard heavy footsteps walking away.

Yugi was alone.

And yet…wasn’t that always the case? His Mother and Grandfather were always busy at home, and his Father…he’d never seen. He never truly made friends either, never found someone to fully connect with. Domino City was a harsh place, and it was survival of the fittest, even among children. Yugi, he was always picked on, always a target, being small with odd hair given at birth. Anyone else who wasn’t a bully was too scared to ever try to be with him.

Alone.

Yugi shook his head from side to side, desperately trying to calm down. But he couldn’t stop the ragged breathing that had his chest heaving from suppressed sobs. He fought against the tears that wanted to spill over from his eyes.

He’d stuck it out over the years, smiling away and lying through his teeth whenever he came home with a bruise or cut he couldn’t hide. He couldn’t worry his Mother, who was doing the best she could. He couldn’t worry his Grandfather, who had enough on his plate, managing a store at his age. Everything, every pain, every drop of blood, every bruise, he locked away in a box in his heart.

Then he’d open a new one, trying to finish a puzzle that was clearly impossible.  
He was fifteen, he knew magic wasn’t real He knew the wish he wanted to make would never come true. But still, he kept trying. He wanted to have friends, someone like Jonouchi or Honda, with loud laughter and excitement. He wanted to have love, like with Anzu. They were, at best, acquaintances, but he knew that there was a distance between them that he could never cross.

Tears had fallen onto the puzzle’s golden pieces, tears much like the ones soaking into the blindfold. His sobs were muffled by the gag firmly wedged in his mouth.

But when that final piece had finally fallen into place, it was the happiest he had ever felt. He had literally jumped for joy, clutching the pyramid to his chest. He hung it from his neck and was never apart from it. He covered it most days, fearful of anyone trying to take it away.

Yugi coughed and choked, struggling to breath through the sobs. His whole body was shaking as he cried.

What a surprise it had been, when his Grandfather whipped out the plane tickets to Egypt, to stay with his friend who was a Professor, and learn about the place his puzzle had come from. What fun it had been, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of Egypt, feeling oddly alive beneath the scorching sun. The wonder and excitement he had felt, staring all around him with wide eyes as they weaved through the crowds of an Egyptian market.

Having that joy coming to a halt with a crash, like broken glass, when he was grabbed from behind, pulled away before he could scream, a smell filling his nose and it all fading to black.

And now…there was this.

The tears flowed until they ran dry, his chest hurting from the strain of shuddering sobs. Yugi shook his head again, his fear long gone, and an even worse emotion taking root.

Acceptance.

He’d been alone for so long, it was a familiar thing. And now, bound, blind, and surrounding by things he didn’t understand, he was going to die here. He was going to die here.

A weak, hysterical giggle slipped through the gag.

He was going to die alone.

As Yugi’s eyes slipped closed, the memory of his wish on the puzzle suddenly came to his mind, and he repeated the words before falling asleep, letting it all fade away.

_Millennium Puzzle, please grant my wish. I wish that I had friends. I wish I wasn’t alone._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sensation came in the form of a whisper, a whisper he could feel lightly treading over his skin. _Yugi_ , it breathed, softly calling his name over and over, touching his body like a gentle breeze.

_Yugi. Yugi. Yugi._

He opened his eyes, but it didn’t matter. All he could see was darkness. The gag was gone. Strange. Strange how he couldn’t feel the blindfold. Or feel anything. It was like he was floating, floating in the dark.

_Yugi._

He almost wanted to reply, to ask “Who’s there?” but he…just couldn’t. There was no point. He was alone.

_Yugi._

It was a sound now, heard rather than felt. It was…a voice? But, wasn’t he alone? Wasn’t that the way of things?

_Yugi!_

It was male. It was female. It was old. It was young. He heard them all at once. The voices of his Mother, of his Grandfather, Anzu, Jonouchi, Honda, even the Professor! Crying out, calling for him, wanting…him? No…no! Don’t sound so sad, please! Please don’t! I don’t want to leave you!

_**I don’t want to give up!** _

“Here!” He shouted, reaching out in the void, his voice broken and desperate.

“I’m here! I’m here! Please, someone, anyone! Help me! I don’t want to be alone!”

All of a sudden, he felt something curl around him, like an embrace, a hug that was lighter than a feather. Then he heard one voice, a deep voice that slid into his ear, ringing in his very soul.

_“Yugi.”_

He opened his eyes to light, a room of stone illuminated by nothing, yet casting shadows, the shadow that was falling over him. He opened his eyes to see another kneeling above him as he lay on the floor, clothed in black. He opened his eyes to see himself, but not himself. A stranger. The same hair swirled around the young face, the colors more vibrant, red overriding fuchsia. The eyes that were slanted, angular, yet perfectly framed by long lashes. The eyes that almost glowed red. Yugi would have been afraid. He should have been afraid, afraid for himself, for his sanity, but he wasn’t. 

“Yugi…” 

That same deep voice came again, and Yugi shivered when he heard it. And yet, that voice was filled with a hunger, a question, and a longing...a longing for someone else. It was a longing he knew, and when Yugi slowly reached up, cupping the other’s face with both hands, he felt it pouring into him. Lost, so lost. And alone. I don’t want to be alone. Let me find someone. Let me find you. All of the things he had repressed, locked away in that box, was felt by them, and to feel it in someone else...it broke his heart.

 _“Yugi.”_ A whisper once more, the other’s slender fingers traveling slowly, almost reverently, over Yugi’s skin. They slid up his bare neck, holding his face as Yugi held theirs. The other leaned down, brushing their cheek against Yugi’s. They nuzzled him, pressing their cool lips to his temple, touching him as if he were priceless beyond measure. It was affection, want, an intimate touch only they could make. Yugi quietly gasped, his eyes sliding shut. The other pressed their forehead to Yugi’s, closing their eyes as well.

Yugi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had all gathered again, chanting in a pious fervor, giving praises and calls of want to a Pharaoh of long ago, calling to his power, worshiping his name. Summoning his soul to the Millennium Puzzle. The Pharaoh would only return if the puzzle was ready to hold him, the puzzle only solved by the one, The Vessel. They had whispered it to each other in the shadows, waiting and believing for the time the Vessel would appear, when the Pharaoh of Shadows would rise once more.

It was now. It was the time! They surrounded the carved sarcophagus the boy was tied to, chanting their prayers and twisted scripture. He lay across the stone, seemingly lifeless, no doubt from despair. His life did not matter, only the Pharaoh’s. And the Pharaoh would claim what was rightfully his! The Pharaoh would purge the world with shadows and usher in a new age!

Light suddenly blazed, physically ripping apart the blindfold as the room filled with golden light. They gasped in amazement, in joy, as the Eye of Horus manifested on the boy’s forehead. His eyes flew open, and the ropes snapped apart as he stood upright, his strength otherworldly, the Millennium Puzzle hanging from his neck. 

They bowed before him, sprawled on the ground and almost weeping at his magnificence. His hair waved and rippled through the air like water, scarlet eyes scanning over the hall full of cloaked figures. At his command, they raised their heads, barely able to take in his beauty. For a brief moment, they saw a smile of gratitude upon his face, before it twisted into a smirk of pure malice, his eyes shining in a delighted fury before he struck them all down, shattering their minds and scattering the remains to the shadows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marik and Rishid halted, hearing the screams echoing through the halls. The one that had solved the Millennium Puzzle had been found, only to be snatched away by the ones that worshipped the Pharaoh’s power, wishing darkness to fall onto the world. They had to find the boy before any harm came to him! With one look at each other, they began to run, only to stop again when the screaming suddenly ceased. An uneasy silence filled the musty air until finally, a door opened.

Light illuminated them, the Eye of Horus still blazing on his forehead. The boy stood tall, back arched with a pride that only the all powerful could possess. Red eyes found the two men standing in the corridor, and he gave them a wide smile. Before they could react, the light was gone, and the boy collapsed. Rishid ran to him first, lifting the boy up and brushing dirt away from his face. Shocked, Marik followed, staring down at…the Pharaoh? The boy had tear tracks staining his pale face, his wrists worn raw from the ropes. He looked so young, fragile even. This was the Pharaoh reborn? Marik looked into the room the boy had just come out of, and his eyes widened in horror.

Over a hundred bodies lay inside, some writhing, others twitching, the rest deathly still. Pale, he looked at Rishid, who had stood with the boy lying in his arms. The puzzle rested on the boy's chest, and Marik eyed it with a mixture of fear, awe, and regret.

It had begun then, the time for the Ishtar line to fulfill their duty. The time he wished would never come. Marik swallowed, nodded, and led the way out of the temple, back to the surface.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Yugi opened his eyes, he lay in a hospital bed, feeling pajamas and soft sheets instead of bare skin and rough stone. Then his Grandfather was suddenly there, wrapping him in his arms and hugging him as if he’d never let Yugi go. His voice was on the verge of tears, and Yugi hugged him back, feeling a burst of love in his heart and regretting the thought of ever leaving him.

He was told of what had happened, of the cult that kidnapped him because of the puzzle, and the people who had rescued him. He had shaken Marik’s hand, thanking him and wondering at the light blond hair the Egyptian had, and at the lavender eyes filled with a complicated emotion that he didn’t understand.

He was home before he knew it, the time flying by in a blur, punctuated with a worried voice asking, over and over again, if he was all right. And each time, he would say he was fine. The strange thing was that this time, it was the truth. Despite the experience that was normally traumatizing, he felt fine. He felt great. That weight of that box he had always carried in his heart was gone, and he felt lighter than he had in years. He didn’t feel alone, and he knew now, deep down, that he wasn’t alone.

The only thing that troubled him were flashes of a memory he couldn’t fully remember. A voice calling his name, skin moving against his, a pair of eyes that shone in the dark…

He shook his head and, with a bright smile on his face, stepped out of the taxi and into his mother’s open arms.

What he didn’t see, what no one could see, was Yugi’s shadow stretching and rippling.

And smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Am I falling asleep on my feet again?  
> I call out, is anybody listening?  
> And it's like I'm diving into emptiness,  
> But at least there's something beating in my chest.
> 
> Will you free me from the logic that I knew?  
> I'll believe it even if it is not true!
> 
> Cult Logic and a cult. 'Ya see what I did there? No? Anyone?


End file.
